Beauty in Decreptitude
by SkullBoss
Summary: Leo and Sakura go for their first walk together and discover beauty in more than one place. Takes place right after their support chain. (Ficlet written for LeoSaku Week)


Meeting in Valla, it was hard to find a pretty place to walk. And then there was the issue of finding somewhere that wasn't infested with Faceless or Vallites. But somehow, Leo and Sakura had found one such place.

Most of Valla really was pretty in an alien sense. But the island that Leo had decided on was probably as close to their home as he could get. It wasn't sideways, there were no backwards waterfalls, and he was pretty sure that nothing was going to burst out of the ground to impale him or Sakura. And there was enough space so they weren't just walking in circles the whole time. It was a miracle, really.

But now, the issue of where to walk or how not to die wasn't Leo's problem. It was how close to get to the girl who he had just confessed his love to- and had also confessed her love of him.

"L-leo, are you okay?"

At the sound of Sakura's voice, Leo mentally slapped himself. _I'm on a date, right? I should actually do something._ "Um, yes. Just a bit on edge. We're still in Valla."

"Oh, yes. I understand, to be honest I'm still a bit nervous too."

 _Maybe I should say something. Hmmm… how about "I can hold you if you're scared." Agh, no. I don't want to be a creep. Plus, it's my first time out with her. Isn't that breaking a boundary a bit soon?_

Leo opted to stay silent as he and Sakura walked around the island. _Damn it, I said talk of happier things. And now I'm not talking at all."_

"Leo?"

 _Isn't she supposed to be the shy one?_ "Oh, yes?"

"I just wanted to say… it's nice being with you here. With all the commotion that goes on around camp, it's pretty relaxing to just enjoy the quiet with someone who really likes me."

Leo allowed himself to grin a bit. "You know, you're right. It actually is pretty peaceful out here."

"Do you ever think about how beautiful of a place Valla must have been before it turned into this?"

"You know, I think it's beautiful in it's own way, even now. It's just a shame nobody can really seem to see that considering the state it's in." _Like her? No, I doubt she'd like being compared to a decrepit zombie kingdom. Plus, I'm sure everyone can see how beautiful she is. How could anybody be so blind?_

"Hmm… it sort of is. M-maybe a bit like you?" Leo blushed hearing Sakura say that. _Well I'll be damned, she had the same idea._ But she also apparently had the same second thoughts. "WAIT! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to compare you to such a scary place. A-and I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks you're, you know…"

Leo took a chance and took hold of Sakura's hand in his own. "You know, this is why I… well, like you so much. I don't care if other people like me that way, but you? Well, learning you felt the same about me meant the world to me. Even if it involves getting compared to this old place."

Sakura buried her face in her free hand. _Well, she didn't let go of mine. And now she's being completely adorable._ As usual. "No, really though. You're sweet. And adorable. And even if this didn't turn out as planned, I'm glad we did this."

Sakura took her hand off her face and leaned against Leo a bit. "You know, even if this wasn't as much talk as we planned, I'm glad too. B-because there's nobody I'd rather spend time with right now."

"You know, when this war is done, I'd love to show you Nohr. Even if it is a bit cold and dark, there's a lot of beauty there. I've seen some of Hoshido, but I'll bet you've never seen a Nohrian art museum."

"You're saying there's entire museums for art there?"

"Yeah. With all the best paintings from around the world. And have you ever seen a Nohrian night sky?"

"At the castle, they always told me it was just really dark."

"Sure, on some nights. But aren't all nights dark? On a clear night, you can see the whole night sky for what it really is. Stars, planets, even actual magic in the air. There's nothing quite like it, especially when you find the perfect place to watch."

"A-and operas? I hear they're great in Nohr too."

"That's a bit more of a Cyrkensia thing, but I'd love to take you to a show there someday."

"A-and I'd love to show you around Hoshido."

"I must admit, it would be nice to visit such a beautiful place in peacetime."

"And I'd love to see Nohr. Especially since it's with you."

With that, Leo and Sakura noticed they had walked to where they started. The sky was dark, but it was hard to tell time in Valla, as the sky seemed to change at random.

Leo turned around to see the biggest grin he had ever seen on Sakura's face.

"You know, you're even prettier when you smile."

Sakura blushed. "Well, if we can keep going places together, I think I'll be smiling a lot more often."


End file.
